Shooting stars are not something to wish on
Written: Dec 21 '00
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| craftgun40's Full Review: Adult Health Risks |
I noticed this category under a review written by someone else on Adult Health Risks. I am posting this off of the link from her review, however I am unsure why the product screen came up. I found I could not get into or find this category any other way, other than by going thru the other review on Adult Health Risks. Please bear with me as I think this review has very important information for everyone, irregardless of age.
When I was younger, I used to think that becoming a senior..just meant that you would have grey hair and a few wrinkles...but the wisdom of youth has proven to be drastically inaccurate....and most people over the age of 50 or so, would consider it to be wonderful if that was all tha happened to you as you aged.
Along with all the little things that happen as you age, like loosing elasticity in your skin and muscle tone, thinning of hair (yes even in women), and starting to wonder why people mumble so much...you also have to deal with much more serious ailments that plague you as you enter into middle age.
One of the things that occurs more often in people over fifty or even 45 for that matter, is having floaters and flashes in your vision, and though often it is just annoying, it can also be indications of much more serious and sometimes permanent eye ailments.
I recently experienced a incident where my right eye was seeing bright white streaks on the outer edge of my vision. This was a quick white streak that appeared when I moved my eye to look in certain directions. A quick very bright white streak...almost like a shooting star.
Because of a eye condition I was born with (retinopathy or ROP)that was caused by being a premature baby, I have to be very conscious of any changes in my eyes or vision as I am a potential candidate for retinal detachment.
A sign that you may have developed a tear or that the retina may be "detaching" is seeing the white streaks.
Of course I was in a panic and wound up with two emergency visits to my eye doctor, which involved an hours drive to their office, in almost blizzard condtions. All turned out well, but the "scare" I went thru brought up something that I wasn't really that aware of, and that is what causes floaters and flashes in your eye, and what it can mean if they appear.
Incidents involving floaters and flashes tend to increase or are more apt to happen after the age of fifty. I hope the following information may be beneficial and may even help someone that may be experiencing them.
What are floaters?
Floaters are actually made up of tiny clumps of gel or cells that are inside the vitreous, which is the clear jelly like fluid that fills the inside of your eye.
Floaters seem to appear on the front of your eye, but are actually floating in the jelly like fluid (vitreous) that is inside your eye.
The part that you are seeing, is actually the shadows that are cast on the retina, which is located at the back of the eye. The retina is what senses light and allows you to see.
Floaters do not have a single distinct shape..they come in all forms and shapes from clouds, lines, circles, little dots or cobwebs.
What causes floaters?
As you age and become middle aged, the vitreous jell can start to thicken or shrink, resulting in clumps or strands inside the eye, and if the vitreous gel pulls away from the back wall of the eye (posterior vitreous detachment) it will cause a common form of floaters.
The retina CAN tear if the vitreous gel does pull away from the wall of the eye which can cause some bleeding in the eye that will appear as new floaters.
If you have a sudden development of floaters..you should contact your eye doctor immediately and make arrangements to be examined.
A torn retina can lead to retinal detachment (which results in loss of vision). Seeing new or sudden floaters or sudden flashes of light should not be ignored as it can lead to serious permanent damage to your vision.
Surgery can restore the retina, but it is a "iffy" if you get get back the same vision you had prior to the detachment, a lot depends on what your vision was prior to the detachment and people that are nearsighted are more apt to lose part of their vision.
What causes light flashes
The bright white flashes occur when the vitreous gel rubs, stretches or pulls away from the retina. The flashes can resemble lightning streaks, flashing lights or for me, I thought it looked like a shooting star, and moved in a half circle around the outside edge of my vision.
If you have ever been hit in the eye, you may have experienced "seeing stars", which is actually what I described above.
The light streaks or flashes can appear off and on for weeks or months. and as we age, it is more common to experience the flashes.
Again as with the floaters..if you experience flashes, you should consult your ophthalmologist.
My exam was completely painless, my eyes were dilated, and I had to wait for about twenty minutes, the doctor peered into my eyes and checked all sides of it for any sign of retinal tearing or detachment.
Prior to the exam they also checked my eye pressure and my vision. The doctor could find nothing that needed any medical attention and I was on my way home shortly.
I was advised to return if I observed any new flashes or floaters, but that what happened to me, was just something that happens often to people in my age group (I am 51 years old), and does not have to be serious, but should definitely be checked out if it occurs.
A visit to your eye doctor can bring you a lot of stress relief if it turns out to be nothing serious, however, if your retina is starting to tear or has detached, immediate medical care is needed.
Some indications that your retina has actually detached, is loss of vision, or a veil or cloud that settles over your vision, but often prior to this you will experience a new set of floaters or you may see the bright white streaks.
If you are diabetic, you are probably already aware of the seriousness of any changes in your eyes.
Your vision is on of your most precious things that you have...take care of your eyes and see your eye doctor anytime you have anything that is "strange" or "different" that appear's in your eyes.
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Epinions.com ID:
craftgun40
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Location: Michigan
Reviews written: 156
Trusted by: 123 members
About Me:
I am retired, extremely active and enjoy my life, family and dog.
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